Middle East

Salam, Macron Discuss Lebanese Sovereignty, Security and Reforms in Paris

This is Beirut 23/01 23:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon France Reform Nawaf Salam Emmanuel Macron

On Friday evening, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to discuss Lebanon’s internal reforms and consolidation of state control. Salam reiterated that the Lebanese state is committed to its goal of confiscating all non-state weapons on Lebanese territory. Macron stated that France will ...

U.S. to Sanction Iran’s Shadow Fleet as Details of Protest Crackdown Surface

This is Beirut 23/01 20:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Iran Sanctions Protests

On Friday, the U.S. announced that it had imposed sanctions on nine vessels and eight entities that are part of Iran’s shadow fleet, according to a press statement from State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott. The imposition of sanctions on Iranian shadow fleet vessels is a move of U.S. escalation against the Iranian ...

Yoav Gallant: Lebanon at a Crossroads

This is Beirut 23/01 15:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant wrote an article titled “Written in Ink, Signed in Fire,” in which he offers a description of the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, arguing that agreements alone do not produce lasting peace unless they are backed by military superiority that imposes facts on the ground. In the article, ...

Iran Dismisses Trump’s Claim He Prevented 800 Hangings

This is Beirut 23/01 13:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Iran's Attorney General said on Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump's allegations that Tehran stopped the execution of 800 detained protesters because of his intervention are "absolutely incorrect.” According to the judiciary’s Mizan news agency, Mohammad Mohebi said, “This claim is entirely ...

Netanyahu Joins Gaza Board of Peace Despite Misgivings

This is Beirut 23/01 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to take part in the U.S.-led Board of Peace overseeing postwar Gaza, despite mounting unease within Israel’s leadership over the structure and membership of the body, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Thursday. The decision, the official said, reflects the reality of Israel’s ...

U.S. Weighs Full Military Withdrawal From Syria

This is Beirut 23/01 09:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump Middle East Syria Kurds

The United States is considering a full military withdrawal from Syria, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, which said Washington is reassessing its presence amid rapidly changing conditions on the ground. The newspaper reported that internal discussions within the Trump administration are exploring multiple scenarios to reduce, or ...

Trump Says U.S. Still Watching Iran, Fleet Sailing to Region

This is Beirut 23/01 09:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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President Donald Trump said Thursday a US naval "armada" was heading toward the Gulf, maintaining pressure on Iran, although he has recently downplayed the prospect of imminent military action. Last week, Trump pulled back from a threat to strike Iran over its deadly crackdown on anti-government protests after the White House said Tehran had ...

Kurdish SDF Fighters Leave North Syria Prison Under Govt Deal: State Media

This is Beirut 23/01 09:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Syria said early Friday that government forces had begun transferring Kurdish fighters from a prison in the north where they had been holding Islamic State group detainees, as part of a weekend agreement. An AFP correspondent in Raqa saw buses and cars heading away from the Al-Aqtan prison on the city's outskirts overnight, escorted by ...

Iraq Says to Start Legal Proceedings against IS Detainees Moved from Syria

This is Beirut 22/01 22:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Iraq's judiciary said Thursday it would launch legal proceedings against Islamic State group detainees transferred from Syria to Iraq as part of a US operation. "The Iraqi judiciary will begin standard legal proceedings against the defendants who are received and placed in the relevant correctional institutions," the Supreme Judicial Council ...

Tens of Thousands Rally against Surging Arab-Israeli Crime

This is Beirut 22/01 20:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel

Tens of thousands of people gathered in northern Israel on Thursday to protest what they said was the police's inaction on curbing soaring violent crime in Arab-Israeli communities. The march in the city of Sakhnin coincided with a general strike in Arab cities and towns across the country, calling for action on the same issue. Under a grey sky ...

Trump Open to Dialogue with Iran as Aftermath of Protests Comes into Focus

This is Beirut 22/01 19:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran United States Trump Protests

President Donald Trump signaled a willingness to engage in dialogue with Iran in remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, while reiterating his opposition to Iran’s nuclear program. These comments came as Trump was speaking about the Gaza ‘Board of Peace,’ as he highlighted the U.S. strikes against ...

Erbil Set to Host New Syria-Kurdish Talks as Ceasefire Strains in the North

This is Beirut 22/01 16:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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A new round of negotiations between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is set to take place in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, according to Kurdish sources cited by Al Arabiya, as efforts intensify to salvage a ceasefire and revive talks over the future of northeastern Syria. The planned meetings come just days after ...